News review of 2023 part three: Crumbling concrete, oil controversy and trams report arrives

JULY

The SNP deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black cited the "poisonous" culture in Westminster as she announced her decision to stand down at the next general election. Ms Black became the youngest MP in more than 300 years after winning the Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat from Labour's Douglas Alexander at the age of just 20 in 2015.

The wife of newsreader Huw Edwards said he was "suffering from serious mental health issues" and receiving "inpatient hospital care" as she named him as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images. Following days of speculation as to the identity of the BBC presenter at the centre of the allegations, Vicky Flind said in a statement that she was speaking out on her husband's behalf.

A pod of more than 50 pilot whales died following a mass stranding on a Western Isles beach. Marine rescuers were called to the scene at Traigh Mhor in North Tolsta, on the Isle of Lewis, to reports that dozens of the mammals were in difficulty. Initial reports suggested there were around 55 animals consisting of both adults and calves, however it was soon discovered that only 15 were still alive.

UK and Scottish leaders came under unprecedented pressure to ramp up climate action as wildfires burned across the world and July was confirmed as the hottest in modern human history. Air and sea temperatures as well as losses of Antarctic sea ice all smashed previous records this summer, bringing relentlessly extreme heatwaves and wildfires across the world.

AUGUST

The former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was ousted from the House of Commons. A total of 11,896 voters backed a recall petition - the first to be held in Scotland - to remove Ms Ferrier after she was suspended from Westminster for breaking Covid rules. The move triggered a by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Mr Yousaf’s first electoral test,

The bodies of three hillwalkers were recovered from a Glen Coe mountainside. Concerns were raised when the group did not return from the narrow Aonach Eagach ridge. The bodies of two men and a woman were found after a search involving the Coastguard helicopter and mountain rescuers.

Nicola Sturgeon said she had no idea of the scale of the investigation connected to the SNP's finances until the day officers knocked on her door to arrest her husband, adding that she remained convinced of her innocence and that she had to "have faith" in the ongoing police probe.

In an interview at the Edinburgh Fringe, the former first minister also spoke about the impact of the investigation on her marriage and the possibility of her fostering children in the future. The former SNP leader also rejected any possibility of reconciliation with her former mentor and predecessor Alex Salmond, stating she believed he had revealed himself to be someone she did not want to spend time with.

Mr Yousaf’s woes deepened as Angus MacNeil announced he would stand as an independent candidate in the next general election after being expelled from the SNP. Mr Yousaf said it was the "right thing" for the long-standing Western Isles MP to be thrown out of the party, after he refused to rejoin its Westminster group following a suspension the previous month.

Scottish ministers said the oil and gas industry will remain "for some time", in a renewed softening of the rhetoric around new drilling, as figures showed the public spending deficit had fallen largely due to a surge in North Sea revenues. Wellbeing economy secretary Neil Gray refused to say whether the controversial Rosebank development - the UK's largest undeveloped oil field - should be given the green light as it was revealed Scotland's public spending deficit had dropped to £19.1 billion.

SEPTEMBER

The Scottish Government revealed 35 schools contain a potentially dangerous concrete material as it faced growing pressure for action to ensure the buildings are safe for children and staff. SNP ministers had earlier faced criticism after initially suggesting they did not know how many schools contained reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, despite concerns having been raised about it several months previously.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC cleared a path to open the UK's first drugs consumption room in Glasgow after declaring it would "not be in the public interest" to prosecute users. Ms Bain said it would "not be in the public interest to prosecute drug users for simple possession offences committed within a pilot safer drugs consumption facility".

Lord Hardie's long-awaited inquiry report into the Edinburgh trams fiasco triggered a political row after it questioned former finance secretary John Swinney's integrity and ministers criticised some of its findings. The scathing 959-page document blamed City of Edinburgh Council tram firm Tie along with the local authority and the Scottish Government for the shambolic project and recommended a new law to enable the criminal prosecution of those "who knowingly submit reports that include false statements to councillors".

Rishi Sunak watered down efforts to tackle climate change by backtracking on a series of measures and commitments, including delaying a ban on new petrol and diesel cars by five years, and putting back a ban on new gas boilers. He also announced the go-ahead for the Rosebank oil field. The Prime Minister’s announcements caused chaos in his own party, with business secretary Kemi Badenoch calling on Tory MPs in a WhatsApp messaging group to refrain from criticising the announcements on social media.

The following week, Mr Yousaf said the Scottish Government had "no intention to change" target dates for key environmental initiatives such as the switch away from gas boilers in new buildings. Mr Yousaf accepted his government would need to consider the implications of changes in target dates announced by Mr Sunak but insisted that in Scotland the "plans remain unchanged".